Nick hospitalized for "mild" kidney failure: What is it?

Actor Nick Cannon is in the hospital with what his wife, Mariah Carey, says is mild kidney failure. Carey tweeted a photo of the two of them in Cannon's hospital bed in Colorado, and according to the Ministry of Gossip, Carey posted on her blog, "We're trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful." Although information on Cannon's particular condition is scarce, we got some information on the condition from Dr. Bryan Becker, immediate past president of the National Kidney Foundation. In the medical community, Becker said via a media rep, there really is no term called "mild kidney failure", but he speculates that Cannon might have been hospitalized for some decrease in kidney function. Acute kidney failure, according to the Mayo Clinic, refers to the sudden inability of the kidneys to archive their main purpose: flushing extra fluids, waste material and salts from the blood. When that happens, those things may build up in the body. Causes of Cannon's condition, Becker added, could include an illness, dehydration, or taking an over-the-counter medication such as Motrin or Advil. "For someone to have it and to be hospitalized raises an extra level of concern," he said. As to how fast Cannon, the host of "America's Got Talent" could recover, Becker said if the condition is mild, it would then depend on the cause - more fluids would help him get back to normal if he's dehydrated, or if it's related to another illness, it may get better over time. (Los Angeles Times)